Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today voted against the nomination of Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary:

“I oppose the nomination of Alexander Acosta for Labor Secretary. His handling of a case involving sex trafficking of underage girls when he was a U.S. attorney suggests he won’t put the interests of workers and everyday people ahead of the powerful and well-connected.

“In 2007, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually abusing 30 underage girls. Acosta cut Epstein a favorable deal without consulting or even informing the victims. As a longtime advocate for the rights of crime victims, I find this deeply disturbing.

“Acosta has also admitted that discriminatory hiring practices were used at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division when he was in charge of it. These inappropriate practices, which were acknowledged by the department’s inspector general, undermined the credibility of the Civil Rights Division.

“I simply don’t believe Alexander Acosta’s record indicates that he would serve the workers of this country.”